The Music of Jaune Arc
by Nocturne0902
Summary: Jaune Arc is completely alone in Beacon. He is simply unable to talk to strangers, and would rather spend all his days playing piano, rather than answer questions in class and talk to other people. One day however, he meets Team RWBY, and his life takes a turn, for better or for worse. Can Team RWBY break through his shell?
1. The feverish anticipation of loved ones

A group of teenagers briskly walked past him as he made his way into the dormitory.

Their expressions were bright and full of life, seemingly the exact opposite of his. As they crossed him, he tilted his head to hear only a few bits of conversation. Plans for the weekend, a gathering of friends. The door behind him shut, leaving him alone to his morbid thoughts. He looked back, glancing at the ponytail of the girl escaping around the corner, and then, it was gone. Exhaling deeply, he continued to the Multi-Purpose Room. It had anything a group of teenagers could use, a ping pong table, the latest gaming console in the other corner, board games, and even a kitchen to make food. No that he cared about any of those things especially. Opening the door with a bit of bounce in his step, he made his way inside.

What he cared about was the upright piano... and definitely not the bawling girl on the sofa in front of it. She was rather short and petite, adorning the standard school uniform for girls. He though the red streaks in her hair were quite pretty. She couldn't be older than he was, but she apparently went to Beacon as well.

He cursed under his breath and looked away from the girl. She already noticed him so leaving was out as an option. As much as he would like to leave and not deal with it, he waited all day to play piano again. Also if she ever saw him again, not only would he be a loner with no friends, but he would probably be a loner with no friends hated by a bunch of girls. All girls were basically friends with each other, and were essentially a pack of wolves in groups in his view. Hurting one would only anger the pack and that was not the kind of trouble he was looking for.

The girl was now sniffling and looked at him with the biggest silver eyes he had ever seen.

"Wha- What are you looking at?" She sputtered out. Whatever he was about to say instantly died in his throat. The gods above must have cursed his already dreadful existence. What now? He hated social situations in general, and he definitely didn't know what to do in a situation like this. Damn his social awkwardness! If he had not been so quiet when he was younger, he might've been able to say something now.

The girl covered her face with her hands. "Go away."

A thousand knives punctured his soul. He began to turn, just wanting to return to his room in solitude. As he reached for the door handle, he stopped. He was reminded of the group of people he had passed by at the entrance. He didn't know why, although he had a sinking feeling he knew why. He looked back at the young huntress, and then to the piano behind her.

Gracefully, he made his way across the room, behind the girl to the piano. He put his bag down on the side, adjusted his chair, put his feet on the pedals, and begun to play

[Chopin: 24 Preludes. Op. 28: No. 1 in C Major]

The girl perked up, hearing the rising sound of the piano behind her. She turned in her seat and listened to the boy who barged in on her crying play. Whatever it was, it made her stop crying. If she had to describe the music itself, it was as if two lovers were meeting each other after a long time. She could feel his nervousness, and his excitement, almost akin to the feeling one would have after meeting old friends. The song reached its climax quickly, before getting softer, and finally ending. How short and sweet, she thought.

Then, everything was quiet. As soon as Jaune stopped playing, he rubbed his hands together, picked his bag up, and began to leave. The girl was staring at him with an expression unreadable to him, but the tears had disappeared completely from her eyes. The feelings of a women, how could anyone possibly deduce that? But confidence swelled within him allowing him to speak.

"Um, sorry for barging in on you... I'm...I'm no good at consoling someone... and Im not really good at talking... but-"

"Ruby." She said blankly. He stared at her in confusion. This time she spoke with a brief laugh."My names Ruby Rose, it's nice to meet you...?"

"Oh, um, I'm , uh, Jaune. Jaune Arc." Without thinking he put out his hand for her to shake. H e realized how dumb that must have looked, but nevertheless she shook it with a smile.

" That was a nice song you played, what is it called? Sounds like its classical?"

Now even he had a smile, seems like the girl was slightly interested in music.

"Oh, haha, it's Chopin's Prelude in C Major!"

"Oh Chopin, I heard about him...once. Isn't he that guy from like a bajillion years ago? But Prelude in what now?"

She looked adorable as she looked at him. "Someone once called it the "feverish anticipation of loved ones", if that helps."

Now she was staring at him again." That guy is really good at naming."

"Yeah I know."

Things were quiet again, before Jaune was about to speak up again.

"So, um, why were you-"

Just then her scroll rang. There goes his attempt at being an anime protagonist. Giving him a chaste smile, she turned in her seat and took the call.

"Yang, now is not the... What? Dad sent Zwei in the mail? How the heck did he.. Why? Ok, I'm coming now!"

She got up from her seat, getting her bag. "I have to go, but um, if you ever want to talk about the naming conventions of music, just find me in the cafeteria! Bye Jaune!" In a hurry, she bounced out of the room.

As for Jaune, he was out of words. He got his things, and left the room as well, but this time with more happiness than when he had entered it.


	2. The Wrong Note Etude

**Addressing the reviews,**

 **Rain-XiX: This story occurs in what I think is an alternate reality of Beacon. Yes it's still a hunter school, but that stuff will play back seat until I deem it necessary. That means Jaune still has all his abilities, but now that he has played piano for some time, he has changed slightly.**

 **it should be noted that Jaune is slightly OOC in the view that he is not overly confident in this fic. He is more careful with his words and how he acts, but so much so that he has become introverted. Other than that, he's still Jaune, loyal to his friends, determined to do the right thing. And clumsy at times :D.**

* * *

"Hiya Jaune, come sit with us!"

Cheeks slightly tinged, he awkwardly shuffled over to Ruby's table. He could FEEL the attention he was getting, and to be honest it wasn't doing him any good. As he walked over, he took a good look at the younger girl. She was smiling brightly; you would never know she was bawling her eyes out yesterday. A smile bloomed on his face; Ruby was a carefree girl.

And pretty cute too.

He sat down next to Ruby, who was talking to another... _woah_.

"Jaune, I'd like you to meet Yang Xiao Long, my sister. She's your age, so maybe you can be friends too!"

Yang was really beautiful. She was too beautiful. Jaune didn't think he would ever talk to someone so beautiful in his entire life. He also couldn't even think of another word to describe her; that's how stupefied he was. That golden blonde hair... and those lilac eyes could level him alone. He unconsciously bowed his head. _Great, now what's he doing_.

"Hi... _um,_ Yang, it's nice to meet you." He instinctively reached out his hand to shake hers, but with the way they were sitting down it was just weird. Nevertheless, she was kind enough to shake it once.

"So you're the pianist Ruby found, huh. Well I-"

"Was! Um, was a pianist. Now I'm just a... hunter."

The girl glanced once at her sister then back at him, grinning widely. He didn't know what to make of that.

"Well, I heard you serenaded my sister yesterday. You planning on playing at the wedding too or do I need to hire someone?" She laughed.

The two sputtered out nonsensical excuses until Yang broke out in full blown laughter. Ruby gave him a sheepish look.

"Your sister is real funny Rubes, _real_ funny." Jaune muttered darkly. She stared at him in confusion. "Rubes?" She asked.

"O-oh sorry, slip of the- "

"No, no, it's fine, it's just that only Yang calls me that, I guess so can you."

Yang sucked her straw ostentatiously, until she spoke."Wow, you're a real ladykiller aren't you? Keep that up and I can only guess how many kids you two will have."

"YANG, Shut up! _Gosh_!" Ruby humphed once, but then turned to Jaune. " So, why did you become a hunter instead of a musician in the first place?" She was remarkably enthusiastic in conversation, Jaune noted.

" Oh that..." Asking the hard hitting questions already, huh? He stabbed his potato salad lightly. "Well, the Arc family is a family of warriors. My father, grandfather, and great grandfather all became men of the military. It was only natural that I become a hunter as well, Ruby."

Her sister took the opportunity to enter the conversation. " But surely your family cant stop you later in life. Sis told me that you're pretty good at playing. Ever think about going pro?"

He laughed lightly. " Oh, I... wouldn't be any good. As I'm sure you've noticed, um, Yang, I'm not exactly a very... _socially_ _capable person_? My family would never allow it, musicians don't make much anyways and... it would just be preposterous . Besides..." He looked away from the girls.

"Playing for crowds of people isn't really... what I... _want_."He said quietly and carefully. The two sisters, sensing his discomfort, changed the topic.

" So Jaune, what about your team, surely you aren't completely alone?" Ruby supplied. Just then, a wave of despair emanated from the boy. His palms covered his face entirely, his back hunched over.

" _Gods above_... please don't remind me."

His expression was rather comical, so Yang couldn't help but laugh. What a peculiar young lad her sister had found. "What happened?"

Exhaling sharply, facepalming three times over, he quickly sputtered out, " _ididntfindoutwhatteamimon_!"

Three beats of silence, and then Yang burst out laughing. Ruby stood up in her seat. " YOU WHAT?"

That little outburst drew attention over to them from all over the cafeteria again, heightening his discomfort. He waved off those looking at them. Seeing most of them shrug and go back to talking to each other was enough to satisfy him.

Carefully he said," I don't know...what team I'm on." The two sisters were at a loss for words.

"But how, surely you went to orientation, didn't you?"

"Yeah I did," He waved his hand rapidly," I was the odd one out, I picked up the chess piece, they said I passed, but I didn't go to the ceremony so I never found out my team. And I didn't go check afterwards because... well... I kind of liked having a room to myself."

They broke out in intense laughter, pounding the table. After a log ten seconds, Yang wiped the tears from her eyes. "Gods, Jaune, you are one oddball, you know that?"

Oddball, it was worse than a compliment, but better than an insult. He could work with that.

"Hey, I know what we should do! Let's go to the multi-purpose room again, so Yang can hear you play."

"Oh Ruby, I'm not sure your sister likes classical music, and that's pretty much all I know." Jaune looked over at Yang who gave him a smirk.

"Listen, I love _Chopin_ my onions as much as the next gal, if you know what I mean."

Ruby physically cringed into the fourth dimension, or at least it looked like she was going to. "Yang, please no puns, we just made Jaune our friend."

Friend... He grinned widely. "Don't worry Rubes, I'm pretty laid _Bach_ when it comes to puns. Just make sure they aren't as terrible as that last one, keep those... _Haydn_?" Jaune tried.

The blinding smile Yang produced quickened his heartbeat beyond mere eighth notes. She threw an arm around his neck, noting their similar height. "Oh, Jauney my boy, I think this marks the beginning of a _beautiful_ friendship."

And with that she led him out of the cafeteria, Ruby cursing the fact that the amount of puns she would have to suffer through had doubled.

* * *

"You are so insufferable!"

"And you're a spoiled brat who doesn't know what she's talking about!"

The door to the multi purpose room opened, shocking the two ladies into silence. Yang, Ruby, and another boy they had never seen before walked in. The tension between them was still in the air.

"Weiss, Blake, what are you guys doing here?" Ruby dashed over to the two. Weiss, an expert at keeping up appearance, supplied her a glass-like smile.

"Oh just working on some stuff with my best... _friend_... Blake here!"

"Yeah," Blake laughed nervously." What she said..." She said this more quietly.

What sharp contrast. Whereas Yang was overly beautiful, Weiss Schnee was a porcelain doll in his eyes. The scar across her eye just further accentuated her almost perfect appearance. A princess, a diamond. Blake Belladonna, just like her last name implied, she was also uniquely contrasted with Yang as well. While Yang was full of light, he could tell Blake had a dark beauty to her, untouchable, like the shadows themselves.

To summarize, two more girls completely out of his league. _Just fabulous_ , he thought.

" And... who is this?" Weiss now stared at him with slight annoyance. What the hell did he do, exist too close to her? His thoughts were cut out as Yang roughly tossed her arm around his neck.

" This is our new friend, Jaune Arc, _pianist extraordinaire_! Don't worry, he's a real coward, he won't bite."

"HEYYYY! I'm... not that good at the piano."

Blake chuckled lightly. " Wow, that's what you complain about? Interesting..." She shifted on her heel. " I'm Blake Belladonna, and this is _Weiss Schnee_." He noticed she said her compatriots name with some venom, but it produced no reaction from the porcelain girl.

He was going to ask why they were fighting, because it didn't seem like Ruby or Yang had noticed the harsh words the two girls exchanged earlier . But he very well couldn't just come right out and say it, he had that much awareness. He didn't know them well, and he didn't want to offend them. Based on how Blake was looking at her, she could tell he heard them.

"Hey, Jaune, Why don't you play that one song... umm, the beaverish...the leverish..." A question mark could have appeared on top of Ruby's head.

"The feverish anticipation of loved ones, huh?" He didn't think that would work this time. It was too short and sweet, meant for cheering someone up. He need a song more meaningful. He looked into both Blake and Weiss's eyes, causing them to shuffle uncomfortably.

He wanted to at least stop them from insulting each other after they eventually left...

He knew what he had to play.

Wordlessly, he he made his way over to the upright piano. He sat down on the seat, put his feet on the pedals, adjusted his seat, and begun to play the piano.

 **[Chopin: Étude Op. 25, No. 5, in E minor, "Wrong Note"]**

The room quieted down as he started playing. At first they were confused, it sounded so dissonant, so out of place, like he was trying to play correct notes but was failing to do so over and over again.

This dissonance... Weiss could only be reminded of the differences between her and Blake. She was upset over the fact that Blake was defending the White Fang and justifying their actions. Blake was mad at her for assuming so much about an entire group of Faunus. At the end of the day it was a difference of opinion.

As Jaune, or the song itself, tried to correct itself, Blake was moved by his playing. Perhaps, they could rectify the difference between them. Suddenly the song got slower until...

They began to hear the correct notes being played. It seemed as if he only shifted down a single step to fix the entire song! A beautiful melody began to ring out, a sharp contrast to the loud dissonance they had heard earlier. Blake and Weiss looked to each other, and found that same feeling in each other's faces; the hope that things could be fixed between them, that they could have a friendship as beautiful as the melody being played.

Then the song went back to being dissonant, reminding them that solving the issues they had would take some work. After repeating the same chords as before, it trailed off into the distance, ending on a high note, instilling them both with the confidence that things would work out.

Ruby wildly clapped, pulling Jaune out of his reverie. "That was amazing, Jaune, what was that?"

He looked to both Blake and Weiss, who both gave him looks of gratitude. A bright smile enveloped his face. " ...It's Chopin's "Wrong Note Etude"."

Yang was strangely quiet during all of this, almost as if she was studying him precariously.

" Wow another one from Chopin, huh? You must like him a lot."

" Yeah, I do. Although he was a genius, and I'm, well, _me_...I can relate to him in a strange way."

"Hey Jaune?" Yang spoke finally. He snapped his head to her face, which was currently adorned by another blinding smile.

"Don't sell yourself too short. You aren't bad at all."

A fierce blush came to Jaune's face. He rubbed the back of his head rapidly. A sound of laughter came from Weiss now.

" Yes, although your technique could be improved on... also your posture could seriously use some adjustment... and also your appear-"

The occupants in the room looked at the princess pointedly, shutting her up.

"... You play the notes well." She finished, crossing her arms and looking away.

"What she said." Blake supplied cheerfully.

With that, the five young adults returned to their rooms to sleep, awaiting for the next day to come.


	3. The Presentiment of Death

**Addressing the reviews...**

 **Namah: If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a story, now would it?**

 **These first two chapters have just been for the purpose of introducing all of the main characters. The rest of Team JNPR may or may not appear, I** **haven't** **decided yet. But I do have the overall story line figured out in my head. In general, I think I will use parts of the canon to influence events in this fic, but I won't be using Salem, or any other evil characters, or at least they will be vastly different. They wont fit in with the plot at all. Without further ado, lets begin the plot shall we?**

 **P.S. it has also come to my attention that this fic has been put into a community! Don't really know how that works, but thank you!**

* * *

 ** _I tell my piano the things I used to tell you. - Frederic Chopin_**

* * *

It was the first week of school still, so everyone was still figuring out who was who around Beacon. Headmaster Ozpin, a man shrouded in mystery, was in many ways unapproachable by the students of Beacon. Many had already figured out that his second in command, Glynda Goodwitch, was not a person to be messed with. Professor Oobleck was an outright spaz when hyped up on coffee. Few students could handle his level of speed when under intoxication.

And Professor Port?

"...so as I was saying, after we finished the round of vile beats, my compatriots quickly launched my body into them using... "

That was about as much as Yang could take before slamming her head into her desk. Her desk didn't deserve it, but how could one man be _so_ boring and yet be a teacher at the same time. it was honestly unfathomable! She could see her teammates likewise were struggling to stay awake. She didn't expect much from her sister Ruby, but she was already fast asleep. Her partner Blake was hiding another one of her novels behind her textbook. What a nerd.

Even Weiss, the princess of perfection, was finding it hard to keep her eyes open throughout the boorish man's lecture. Coupled with the fact that her own attention span was lesser than that of her sister's she couldn't focus either. Her eyes roamed the room until they fell on their very own resident pianist/hunter in training, Jaune Arc.

She laid her chin on her desk and covered her face with her arms, to study him silently. He was obviously sleeping; his eyes were closed, his chin buried in his arms. She could see his body move slightly as whole, as he breathed slowly in and out. Then she observed how his unruly blonde hair fell over his face, right down his straight nose.

She would laugh if she could. Jaune would be real popular with everyone, especially the ladies, if he ever bothered to stop being a clumsy, introverted mess of a man. But still, perhaps it was better this way. If he turned out to be another Cardin Winchester, she might give up all hope in humanity. Perhaps it was better than only she and team RWBY ever bothered to converse with him. He was nothing like his fellow male classmates, even compared to the other introverts in her class, like Ruby. He was truly an interesting person in her eyes.

"And so after that we... Mister Arc, you wake up this instant!"

Said young man bolted straight up in his seat, standing tall, blinking rapidly. The classroom filled with coarse chuckles and laughter. Even Blake had looked away from her book to see the drama that was unfolding. Professor Port rounded around his desk to the young man, but as he came closer, he became increasingly aware of the fact that he had no advantage in height to the youngster before him. He gave a look-over once, and turned on his heel.

Jaune, himself, was still trying to wake up, to be honest. The only reason he was able to react to Professor Port's command so fast was his father's insistence on waking him up at the crack of sunlight every morning of his entire childhood. Needless to say he was quite adept at waking up at a moments notice. And to be entirely honest, it wasn't his fault he couldn't stay awake in Port's class. The man was more boring than practicing the C major scale as a child. Not that he wouldn't mind the chance to play piano over going attending class...

"Young man, I think I'm going to use you as a demonstration for today's class. Go get your things from your locker, young man."

God, why him? Begrudgingly, he began to walk down the steps to the door, his head lowered. The eyes of every single student in the room bore into his skull. Even worse all of Team RWBY were in the same class, so it was even more embarrassing that his only friends in Beacon were witnessing his humiliation. He despised attention, being observed from every angle, like a-

His thoughts were interrupted as he tripped on something to the floor of the lecture hall, falling face first onto the ground. It took him a second to recuperate and gain his bearings. He slowly got up off the floor, averting his eyes away from the rest of the class. Someone had tripped him down the staircase. He glanced at his hands quickly, breathing a sigh of relief that they were unscathed. He could still play after all of this was over.

"Oh heavens, are you alright, young man?" The professor said, standing over him.

Maybe it wasn't happening, and maybe it was, but he swore he could hear even more laughter coming from his fellow classmates. His heart, now heavy from embarrassment, pounded in his chest. The humiliation was too much for him. He quickly rushed past Port and quickly exited the classroom, not wishing to be a laughing stock any longer.

An awkward silence had enveloped the classroom, until one man decided to speak up boldly.

"Well, I'd be surprised if he ever bothered to come back...ever! " Cardin Winchester, the tall and proud bully of Beacon, guffawed, causing the entire room to look at him in astonishment. A loud bang from one of the top rows, eyes snapping over, to witness what could only be described as a fiery demon of hell itself. Yang desk had a small crater in her desk, but she honestly didn't give a damn.

"Cardin! You brute!" Her semblance was starting to activate, even though she wasn't even trying to use it. She was far too livid right now to even question her actions."You tripped him down the staircase!"

"Where's your proof, Xiao-Long? And besides even if I did, a little roughing up never hurt anybody! The way I see it, I think I broke his shell, maybe now he won't be so much of a coward!"

Oh that little... if she articulated the thoughts she was having now, her sister would scarred for life. "You meathead, I oughta' rough you up, see how you like it!".

"You two better settle down, before I both have you sent to detention."

Cardin Winchester may be a bully, but he had a higher than average intelligence when it came to working around teachers. He turned in his seat, raising his hands in surrender. Sitting up straight in his seat, "Alright, Professor Port. I'll calm down, _my bad_."

"I'm not done with-"

"Yang, _stop_." Ruby said with finality. Glancing at the sincere expression on her sister's face, she calmed down. Ruby's pencil had cracked under the pressure of her tiny fist. reluctantly, Yang sat down in her seat, looking annoyed.

She swore she would avenge her friend, one way or another.

* * *

 **In the hallway...**

After that fiasco, he had no intention of returning to class. A lump had formed in his throat; he found himself falling against the corridor hall. Gods, he wasn't going to start crying, not right now? Luckily, class was still in session for most students, so the halls were relatively empty. No one could witness the downtrodden expression he now bore permanently. He eyed the other side of the campus through the stained-glass windows of the hallway. Settling down, he was about to make his way back to his room, until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to look into the rather bright eyes of Ms. Goodwitch.

"Ms...Goodwitch? Um, I was just-"

"No need to explain, Mr. Arc. in fact its a good thing you are outside your classroom. I was just coming to get you."

Wow, how did Ms. Goodwitch know his name? There must have been thousands of students attending Beacon at the moment. it didn't seem possible for her to know his name unless... no he didn't want to consider that thought. What could she want with him?

"You... want me?" He stated rather dumbly. Even he could see her the sarcastic comment forming in her head. "Right, where to?"

She observed him curiously before chuckling lightly. "Come with me."

* * *

 **Outside the headmaster's office**

"Professor Ozpin is waiting for you inside. Goodbye ."

After Ms. Goodwitch had instructed him to go through the elevator, he found himself in the headmasters's office. It was a bit much, to be frank. Remarkably spacious, it was surrounded by windows on all sides. Gigantic gears turned overhead, doing god knows what to the tower of Beacon. In the center of the room, was a metallic-looking desk, stacked with a bunch of papers. He never took headmaster Ozpin for a minimalist. He cautiously walked to the center of the room, eyes scanning the room, until his eyes fell on a rather large black box on the left side of the room, hidden away in a corner.. Curious, he walked closer to it, stopping just in front of it. it was covered in a black veil, so he threw it off. His heart rate quickened almost immediately.

The most recent model of a grand piano stood before him, looking quite picturesque. His eyes roamed it's perfectly white 88 keys, until finally observing the name of the makers. " **Steinway and Sons** ", written in yellow bold letters. All thoughts of what happened in class completely escaped him now. A short laugh came to him, what luck! This piano must have cost a fortune. Looking around for anyone else in the office, he quickly deduced that he was all alone. Playing one quick tune wouldn't hurt, and why not cheer himself up?

He sat down in his seat, and begun to play his most recently favorite piece.

 **[Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 1 in C Major]**

Instead of playing it blindingly fast like he did for Ruby, he played it more slowly. After all, he was playing for himself this time. Concentrating on the notes in his right hand mostly, he began to feel the music echo throughout his body. Reaching a new level of speed towards the climax, he finished with a loud bang. Unlike the upright piano in the Multipurpose room, with this grand piano all of his notes were played with such clarity that he himself was surprised he could play that well.

The sound of clapping echoed throughout the office, causing him to turn in fright to the offender. Professor Ozpin stood only a few feet away from him, clapping rather politely, an etching of a smile displayed on his face. He was dressed rather immaculately, his staff of power clutched under his armpit. "Jaune Arc, student of Beacon Academy, and piano prodigy known all over Atlas for not playing in concerts, and preferring the intimate environments of salons and restaurants. You stopped playing for other people at the age of 15 to pursue becoming a hunter."

The young man was as still as a doornail as the headmaster spoke. Ozpin took this moment to walk closer to him, using his cane to propel him closer.

"You received average marks in your academic training. You received average marks for your combat training. And would you guess it, you passed the initiation with average marks as well. Notably proficient with your father's sword, Crocea Mors, and you also are decent with the shield, but you have yet to unlock your semblance. On paper, you are the perfect image of an average student going to Beacon. its almost as if you maneuvered your own grades your entire life to be as average as possible. It really boggles the mind how you performed such a feat, but I digress."

Things were now quiet in the office. Jaune was the one to break the silence. Curling his fists onto his lap, he couldn't bear to look at the headmaster. "...So? Is that the only reason you brought me here? To recount my life story? I'm already depressed for humiliating myself in class, there is no need to remind me of my failures."

Ozpin took a seat next to him on the bench, staring straight ahead. "No, , that was not my intention. The real reason I bought you here was to discuss how you failed to show up to initiation. You don't have a team currently, do you?"

Jaune turned to him with a sheepish expression."I was...getting around to mentioning it."

The headmaster stood up from the bench, and circled around to his desk. "As your father mentioned, you have a severe case of social problems. You are seemingly unable to act with confidence when given enough attention. You would rather return to the Multi-purpose room to play your sonatas, wouldn't you?"

He didn't even bother questioning how he knew that, despite never having met him once.

"...yes."

A deep sigh came Ozpin, as he shook his head in exasperation. "This is my point, . You can't just waltz through life, hoping that one day everything will fix itself. YOU have to be the one to put yourself out there. Now, I would like to assign you a team, but your father has warned me against it too many times to count."

So he wasn't getting a team. Thank god! He would rather suffer through hell than getting through the awkwardness of meeting new people.

"...But I very well can't allow you to graduate with the rest of your classmates without being able to converse with another team mate. As a hunter, it is essential that you are able to cooperate with different people at a moment's notice. That's why you leave me no choice."

Ozpin then produced a page from inside of his jacket pocket to give to Jaune. Apprehensively, the young man scanned over the page. At the top of the page, in bold letters was: **REJOICE IN MUSIC! BEACON ACADEMY'S 20TH ANNUAL** **GALA CONCERT**. Surely he wasn't going...

" I can't give you a team to work with as a hunter, and as far as I can see, you are more than capable at handling yourself in combat and academics. You are a rather unique case, Mr. Arc. Everything I could teach you, I have no doubt you could teach yourself if you put your willpower into it. You are a de facto genius in the modern era. A modern-day Mozart if you will."

When he was younger, that's all anyone could compare himself too. The next Mozart, a young Bheethoven, the reincarnation of Chopin! So what if he held himself back in his studies and combat? As far he could tell, there was no harm in living a quiet life, without such meaningless distractions like fame and money. Ok, well everybody likes to have enough money to get live the good life, but as far as fame goes, he didn't give a damn. He really only wanted to become a hunter so he could do whatever he wanted when he got older. Hunters were paid well for their services, and based on how much the hunters in Atlas were paid for doing next to nothing at all, he figured he could retire to the countryside after a few years and live a quiet life. That way he could pay piano all day without a care in the world.

"I appreciate the comparison, Professor Ozpin, but what do you want from me? What is this Gala Concert?"

The headmaster's expression was unreadable. He turned on his heel and observed the students roaming around campus below his office window.

" The Gala concert is in 2 months. You will find yourself a group of five students ,including you, to perform with in the concert. A large number of notable people will be in attendance, with many other talented musicians and artists as well. You will represent Beacon Academy...and hopefully present us in a positive light. If you get through this task, you will no doubt be socially capable in any situation you find yourself in. Failure to accomplish this task will force me to hold you back from graduating indefinitely. Think of it as incentive. Oh, also you may also only play one solo performance alone. Also you must one other song to perform besides classical music, please. Not that I have anything against it, but some variety would do you some good ."

At his last request, Jaune snapped at the professor. " Now hold on, its already bad enough I have talk with other people and perform in front of an audience, now I can't even play the music that I like? I refuse!"

Ozpin finally took a seat in his grand chair, folding his arms."Well then, it appears you have a lot of music listening to do."

With that, Jaune stormed out of the room, clutching the poster in his fist as he did so. He speed-walked all the way back to his one true home.

* * *

There was no other place he could be, Yang thought as she made her way to the multi-purpose room. As she came closer to the door, she heard the sound of the piano echoing into the hallway. But it was nothing like the cheerful sound she heard from him at first, the music he was playing now only gave her thoughts of death.

 **[Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 2 in A Minor]**

She opened the door quickly, only to find Jaune hunched over the piano, clearly distraught. The low notes of the piece instantly gave her the presentiment of death. He couldn't be that upset about falling down the steps! And what a depressing sound! She clapped her hands twice very loudly to get his attention, but he almost immediately jumped out of his seat. As they locked eyes, she gave him her signature grin.

"Jeez, Piano Man, are you trying to depress everyone in the dorm?"

"Oh, Yang, its only you. I was worried someone else was upset with my playing. Also...Piano Man?"

She sauntered over to him, crossing her arms under her cleavage as she did so. She was happy to find him shift uncomfortably in place. _Never gets old, boys are so easy,_ she thought in her head."Never heard of Billy Joel?"

"No...but about...that..." A light bulb could have flashed above his head. He looked into her eyes with sincerity."I need your help with something."

Taking a seat at the piano, she began to play random keys. Yang really did wonder how composers from the past even crafted music using just one instrument. "Shoot."

"I need your help... finding modern music... that I, um, like." He bowed his head to her. With that, she stopped playing, and turned to him."...I have to ask, why?"

Jaune explained to her what happened after she left the room. He told her about Ozpin's ultimatum, but left out the part about him being famous in Atlas. That information was for another time. After he finished talking, Yang had a big grin on her face.

"Um, Yang, why are you smiling like that?" Even he was smiling now, but in an a really awkward way.

She got up in her seat, and shook his hand with both of hers. "Because Jaune, you've found your first band mate."


	4. Thou Art So Like A Flower (Part 1)

**Finals week...you know how it is. Although I have one** **tomorrow,** **I cannot, in good conscience, prolong the next chapter any longer. Originally, it was meant to be around 4000 words with the events I had planned for this chapter, but eh, things happen. Consider this part 1, I will have to finish part 2 after I'm done with this school, god I hate this place. 100 followers and 75 favorites in three chapters, not bad for a first fanfiction! Who knows, maybe I am a good writer, or maybe I'm full of shit. Either way, thank you to everyone who reviewed, f** **avorited** **, followed, you know the drill.**

* * *

Yang opened the door to her room."Well... its not much, but its home."

Was this really happening? He swore he could hear church bells, maybe even "Hallelujah" playing the background. Perhaps this was karma? He'd gone through so much crap today, maybe some god was bored enough to give him a little divine intervention. This was it, he would no longer be a boy, unknowing of the wonders the world had to offer. He was now Juane Arc, a Man. He would go where few men had gone before.

 _"One small step for man..."_

"Uh, Jaune? What's taking you so long, come in."

"Oh n-nothing Yang, I'm coming."

A girls room. Despite having seven sisters, and having been in each of their rooms plenty of times, this was...different. The other three members of Team RWBY were all preoccupied with other activities. Ruby was listening to something on her scroll. Weiss was studying rather intensely at her desk. Blake was reading a very suspicious looking book on her bed.

All in all this was probably one his proudest moments yet. Here he was, surrounded by girls way out of his league, all just accepting the fact that he just invaded their sanctuary. He was one of the few men who would ever cross the boundary into such a sacred place, and live to tell the tale. But perhaps it was better no one knew of his accomplishment here today. He didn't need to give more of a reason for Cardin and his pack of _dipwads_ to trouble him any further.

"Oh, it's Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, sitting up in her bed. Both Blake and Weiss gave him a nod and returned to their activities. The prodigy took off her headphones and moved to greet him. She was dressed in pajamas with adorable little polka dots. The color of them matched her hair quite nicely. He was about to say something, but Yang quickly pushed him onto one of the beds, gesturing for him to wait there. She had a mischievous look on her face, but then again, she was always did. She jumped over to the closet and disappeared inside of it.

"What are you doing here, Jaune?" The girl with a demon scythe sat criss-cross next to him. Her eyes looked at him rather expectantly; it was kind of unnerving. He needed to say something, why was it so damn hard to speak?

 _Ruby is your friend._

"Oh, uh, I was just invited by Yang...to...see stuff?"

"What kind of stuff?" The way she tilted her head almost made him faint.

"Oh...erm...um." He was getting flustered way too fast! His eyes wandered over to her discard headphones next to her scroll. _Oh right!_ "Never mind me... what music were you listening to?"

Her mouth formed an "o" shape. She grabbed her headphones, and presented them to him. They were latest model of a well-known brand in Vale. "Oh this?"

"Yeah, I've been given an ... assignment from the headmaster." Jaune stated, breathing out a winded sigh. "Turns out I'm gonna have to perform in front of an audience at this fancy shmancy party. So I'm gonna have to learn something a little more modern."

Stars began to form in young prodigy's eyes."Well, why didn't you say so!" She plopped the headphones on his head without warning, and pressed a button on her scroll.

"Oh um, alright. I guess we just skip the-"

 ** _THIS WILL BE THE DAY WE WAITED FOR-_**

"GAH!" He immediately tore the headphones of his ears, startled in fright. After a few moments, he glared at the young girl, who was smiling at him too innocently. "Preferably something less... loud?"

"Keep playing it, sis."

"You got it Yang!"

"Huh?"

He then took notice of the rather impressive looking drum set Yang had produced out of nowhere. Said woman looked at him with a wide grin, and readied her sticks.

 **[Williams: Red Like Roses Part 2]**

 _I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute;_  
 _Couldn't bear another day without you in it_  
 _All of the joy that I had known for all my life_  
 _Was stripped away from me the minute that you died_

 _To have you in my life was all I ever wanted_  
 _But now without you, I'm a soul forever haunted_  
 _Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted;_  
 _No way in Hell that I can ever comprehend this_

The song was still hyping itself up, Jaune couldn't believe his eyes. It sounded great! Yang was playing in perfect time as well, as Ruby played the recording over speakers. Weiss and Blake stopped minding themselves and listen to Yang play.

 _I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone_  
 _I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong_  
 _How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay?_  
 _Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day_

 _It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending;_  
 _Every scene fades black, and there's no pretending_  
 _This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well_  
 _There's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell_

Some other people in the hall had peered into their room, to witness what was happening. Seeing so many people gather outside worried Jaune a little, but he decided not to overthink it, and continued marveling at Yang's skills. She was in full concentration, undeterred by any interruptions around her.

 _I know you didn't plan this;_  
 _You tried to do what's right_  
 _But in the middle of this madness_  
 _I'm the one you left to win this fight_

 _Red like roses_  
 _Fills my head with dreams and finds me_  
 _Always closer_  
 _To the emptiness and sadness_  
 _That has come to take the place of you_

 _I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness;_  
 _You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness_  
 _Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute;_  
 _Make you understand the reasons why I did it_

A sheen of sweat formed at her forehead, but she was still keeping in time. It was clear to Jaune that it was very difficult for her. But to him, it was as if she was glowing, like an angel.

 _I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered;_  
 _Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered_  
 _I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to_  
 _And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you_

 _I never planned that I would leave you there alone_  
 _I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home_  
 _And all the times I swore that it would be okay;_  
 _Now I'm nothing but a liar, and you're thrown into the fray_

 _This bedtime story ends with misery ever after_  
 _The pages are torn, and there's no final chapter_  
 _I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to do;_  
 _I made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you_

 _I know you've lived a nightmare;_  
 _I caused you so much pain_  
 _But baby, please don't do what I did;_  
 _I don't want you to waste your life in vain_

 _Red like roses_  
 _Fills my head with dreams and finds me_  
 _Always closer_  
 _To the emptiness and sadness_  
 _That has come to take the place of you_

She ended the song with a loud bang, and everything was quiet for few moments, until a loud applause erupted from the hallway. She stood up, and gave the complete strangers a thumbs up. Some of them had looks of bewilderment, and some of them looked as if had hearts had formed in their eyes. Weiss looked a little impressed, while Blake, being one to not show her emotions, offered a slow clap. Ruby was jumping for joy, after all, her sister was being congratulated from complete strangers.

And Jaune?

He didn't know what to think.

"Thank you! I'll be here all week!" Yang gave an air kiss to her audience, causing some of the guys to promptly pass out, while the rest fought over who was the intended receiver. The girl then came over to Jaune, grabbed him by the collar, and pushed him over to... a digital piano? When...how? He was far too distracted by her playing to notice it until now. Wait a second, was she expected him to play. Fear shot up through the back of his spine. A dry, hollow look had crept up its way to his eyes.

"Think of this as a little... warm-up." She whispered into his ear. He gulped, staring straight down at the keys in front of them, for everyone was now looking at him expectantly. It was an Argus YDP-181 portable Grand piano. Small and compact, you could carry it around anywhere, and still have the quality any acoustic piano could provide. It must have cost a fortune, how did she even-

"H-Hey!" Weiss whispered harshly."That's mine! What the hell, Yang!" She was instantly silence by her leader, who had ominously grabbed her shoulder. Not wanting to face the wrath of Ruby, she quieted down instantly. Well that settled that.

Yang was saying something now, but he really couldn't register what. Why the hell was she making him do this? It was far too soon to perform for more than 20 people, plus it was a group of teenagers, all in his grade. If he messed up...the embarrassment wouldn't be worth living. What was he even supposed to play? CLASSICAL MUSIC? For a bunch of teenagers? No matter which way he looked at it, this...whatever this was... was doomed from the start. His heart was thumping in his chest...but he didn't... mind it. In fact, he was kind of excited. But still, what was he supposed to play? Yang was done hyping up the crowd, and now stared at him with a pointed posture had shifted on one heel. Her arms were crossed, as if she was telling him to hurry up. His gaze softened, staring into her lilac eyes.

She was vivacious, troublesome, loud, sometimes obnoxious, too extroverted, and so far out of his league it was laughable. He couldn't deny that he found her beautiful. He would be lying to himself if he thought otherwise. So why, why was she doing this to him? To "break him out of his shell", like his family had tried, oh so long ago? But this was different, because she was doing it because she... _cared about him_? Probably? Hopefully...now that he thought about it, he welcomed it, he welcomed _her._ It was exciting, she was exciting, like...like an adventure. He began to smile rather stupidly, and laughed out loud. They were probably wondering what hell had happened to him, but he didn't really mind. When he opened his eyes again, he somehow could tell Yang was struggling to hold back herself. What was he so afraid of in the first place?

Calming down, he rested his hands on the keys, ignored the the nervous tingle at the back of his neck, and began to play.

 **[Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 3 in G Major]**

He started of by showing off his speed to the audience, rapidly playing sixteenth notes in his left land. The audience voiced their appreciation with wows, some of them even clapping along. His worries were gone by then; he gave them a wide smile, not even paying attention to his rapidly moving fingers. Most of them were startled at first, but laughed loudly.

Now Yang was really proud of what she was doing. She honestly didn't think Jaune could do it, but it seems like put a piano in front of him and viola! Magic!

 _"See how amazing he is?"_ She thought rather smugly in her head. It looked like he was having fun, too. He finally turned his head to her, and began to play octaves in his right hand. She wasn't totally crazy about classical music, but even she had to admit it sounded good. It was somehow more exciting than some of the more modern pieces of music she had listened to. The way he was repeatedly shifting up and down with his left hand...it sounded like he had turned the idea of an adventure into a song. She began to clap along with the audience.

As the song drew to a close, he began to play the same notes with both of his hands, at a seemingly miraculous speed, until he finally finished with a long chord. He rested his hands on his lap, and turned to them with a sheepish look.

The sound of their applause was like music to his ears, but nothing could trump the expression the sunny smile that adorned Yang's face in that moment.


End file.
